System and method for notifying detection of vaping, smoking, or potential bullying

ABSTRACT

A notification system for notifying detection of vaping, smoking, or potential bullying at a premises includes a plurality of sensors, each being configured to sense air quality, sound, and temperature at the premises, a memory configured to store a responsibility schedule, and positional information and base data for each of the plurality of sensors, a controller configured to determine detection of vaping, smoking, or potential bullying by comparing results sensed by the plurality of sensors with the base data, and a message server configured to send an alert to a person based on the responsibility schedule, a detection location, and a detection time. The person is responsible at the detection location and at the detection time based on the responsibility schedule.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a notification system and method fornotifying detection of vaping, smoking, or potential bullying at anenclosed site. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to anotification system including a plurality of sensors for detectingvaping, smoking, or potential bullying and a message server fornotifying the detection of such.

Background of Related Art

Vaping, smoking, and bullying have been serious problems in enclosedareas of academic/business environments due to hazardous/harmful impactson other people. Various methods and systems have been developed toidentify or prevent potential bullying, smoking, and vaping in enclosedareas, such as classrooms, restrooms, bathrooms, storage rooms, hospitalrooms, or other kinds of enclosed areas in schools, hospitals,warehouses, cafeterias, offices, financial institutes, governmentbuildings, or any business facilities. For example, potential bullying,smoking, and vaping can be identified by camera surveillance. However,such camera surveillance systems have not been used in private areassuch as restrooms, bathrooms, shower rooms, or hospital rooms becauseprivacy has more weights than identification of potential bullying,smoking, and vaping.

Vaping, smoking, or bullying becomes more popular in young aged peopleand causes many health, mental, and environmental issues. Generally,vaping and smoking have similar effects on people around in closeproximity of the vapers or smokers. Thus, by identifying vaping orsmoking activities in enclosed areas, people can be supervisedappropriately so that harmful and hazardous effects can be prevented.

Further, when potential bullying, smoking, or vaping is detected,notification systems are in need while people related to the potentialbullying, smoking, or vaping are unaware of the notification. Thus,developments in efficiently notifying potential bullying, smoking, orvaping are necessary.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure features a notification system including aplurality of sensors for detecting vaping, smoking, and potentialbullying, and a message server for notifying the detection of vaping,smoking, and potential bullying.

In an embodiment, a notification system for notifying detection ofvaping, smoking, or potential bullying at a premises includes aplurality of sensors, each being configured to sense air quality, sound,and temperature at the premises, a memory configured to store aresponsibility schedule, and positional information and base data foreach of the plurality of sensors, a controller configured to determinedetection of vaping, smoking, or potential bullying by comparing resultssensed by the plurality of sensors with the base data, and a messageserver configured to send an alert to a person based on theresponsibility schedule, a detection location, and a detection time. Theperson is responsible at the detection location and at the detectiontime based on the responsibility schedule.

In an aspect, the responsibility schedule includes a name, working days,working hours, and contact information of each person responsible forthe premise. The contact information includes at least one of an emailaddress, a work phone number, a mobile phone number, a social mediaaddress, and a home phone number.

In another aspect, the plurality of sensors is divided into a pluralityof zones of the premises. Each of the plurality of zones is assigned toa person responsible for the premises based on the responsibilityschedule.

In another aspect, sending the alert includes re-sending the alert untilthe responsible person responds to the alert.

In yet another aspect, the vaping and smoking is determined when sensedresults include a signature. The signature includes a temperature range,a hydrogen range, and a humidity range.

In yet another aspect, the base data is location-dependent. The basedata for each of the plurality of sensors is collected for apredetermined period in a learning mode prior to detection of vaping,smoking, or potential bullying.

In yet another aspect, the base data is location dependent.

In yet another aspect, the plurality of sensors is implemented by usinga Raspberry Pi, which runs in a low power mode. The Raspberry Piincludes an HDMI port for debugging and diagnostic.

In yet another aspect, the alert is a text message, an email, an opticalflashing, an audible sound, or combination thereof. Transmission of thealert is stopped when the message server receives a response from theperson.

In yet still another aspect, updates are wirelessly transmitted to theplurality of sensors.

In another embodiment, a method for notifying detection of vaping,potential bully, or smoking at a premises includes receiving aresponsibility schedule from a user, collecting base data by a pluralityof sensors in a leaning mode for a predetermined period, sensing airquality, sound, and temperature by the plurality of sensors in an activemode after the learning mode, determining whether vaping, potentialbullying, or smoking is detected based on results by the plurality ofsensors and the base data, and sending an alert to a responsible personbased on the responsibility schedule, a location of a sensor whichdetects the vaping, potential bullying, or smoking, and a time of thedetection, when it is determined that vaping, potential bullying, orsmoking is detected. The person is responsible at the detection locationand at the detection time based on the responsibility schedule.

In an aspect, the responsibility schedule includes a name, working days,working hours, and contact information of each person responsible forthe premises. The contact information includes at least one of an emailaddress, a work phone number, a mobile phone number, a social mediaaddress, and a home phone number.

In another aspect, sending the alert includes re-sending the alert untilthe responsible person responds to the alert.

In yet another aspect, the method further includes determining presenceof a people when vaping, potential bullying, or smoking is detected. Thealert is sent to the person when it is determined the presence of thepeople.

In still another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable mediumstoring instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause thecomputer to perform a method including receiving a responsibilityschedule from a user, collecting base data by a plurality of sensors ina leaning mode for a predetermined period, sensing air quality, sound,and temperature by the plurality of sensors in an active mode after thelearning mode, determining whether vaping, potential bullying, orsmoking is detected based on results by the plurality of sensors and thebase data, and sending an alert to a person based on the responsibilityschedule, a location of a sensor which detects the vaping, potentialbullying, or smoking, and a time of the detection, when it is determinedthat vaping, potential bullying, or smoking is detected. The person isresponsible at the detection location and at the detection time based onthe responsibility schedule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the features and advantages of the disclosedtechnology will be obtained by reference to the following detaileddescription that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which theprinciples of the technology are utilized, and the accompanying drawingsof which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an notification system for notifyingdetection of vaping, smoking, or potential bullying in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the detection sensor of FIG. 1in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a graphical illustration showing detected sound results fromthe detection sensor of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 3B and 3C are graphical illustration showing history data from thedetection sensor of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a learning mode for the detection sensorin accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an active mode for the detection sensor inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method for detecting vaping inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a computing device in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method for notifying detection ofvaping, smoking, or potential bullying in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for notifyingdetection of vaping, smoking and potential bullying. When vaping,smoking, and potential bullying are identified, warnings or alerts aretransmitted to registered users or clients without providing anyindication of warnings to persons who vape, smoke, or potentially bullyat the site. In this way, the persons who potentially bully, smoke, orvape can be properly reported and appropriately supervised later.Further, persons near the vaping or potential bullying can beeffectively prevented from further harms.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram showing a notification system 100according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The notificationsystem 100 includes a plurality of detection sensors 110, which detectair quality related to vaping and sound related to noise disturbance atenclosed sites. The notification system 100 further includes a controlserver 120 for identifying whether or not vaping or potential bullyingoccurs at the enclosed site, and a database 130 storing base data foridentifying potential bullying and history data of detected sounds andair quality at each enclosed site.

The detected air quality may be analyzed by the detection sensors 110 orthe detected air quality may be transmitted to the control server 120together with the detected sound. The control server 120 may analyze thedetected sound based on base data stored at the database 130 and thedetected air quality, and determine whether potential bullying and/orvaping occurs at the enclosed sites. The base data stored at thedatabase 130 may be location-dependent, meaning that the base data forone location is different from that for another site. Thelocation-dependent base data may be sound data related to identifyingpotential bullying. For example, at a bathroom, there are flushingsounds, conversations, cleaning sounds, and etc. Based on the size ofthe bathroom and the installation location of the detection sensor 110,the detection sensor 110 may detect sounds differently from otherdetection sensors 110 installed at the bathroom or at a bedroom near thebathroom. Thus, the location-dependent base data may be different basedon the installation locations even at the same site.

For these reasons, the location-dependent base data is to be obtained atthe site for a period in a learning mode. The period may vary dependingon the installation location, the time, the day of the week, and thedate. The location-dependent base data may be obtained for a period,which is determined based on the environment of the enclosed site andthe installation location of the detection sensor 110.

After obtaining location-dependent base data for a period sufficientlylong enough to form profile for the location, the detection sensor 110may be turned into an active mode to identify noise disturbance.

In an aspect, when the detection sensor 110 transmits detected resultsto the control server 120, the control server 120 may acquire from thedatabase 130 the profile for the location where the detection sensor 110is installed and the time when the detected results is obtained, andanalyzes the detected results to identify occurrence of potentialbullying based on the base data.

In an aspect, the detected sounds may be used to identify sleep apnea.Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person'sbreathing is interrupted while sleeping. People with untreated sleepapnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep. This means the brainand the rest of the body may not get enough oxygen. Sleep apnea can leadto more serious problems such as high blood pressure, stroke, heartfailure, and diabetes.

Similar to potential bullying, base data for sleep apnea may be obtainedduring the learning mode prior to identifying sleep apnea. During thelearning mode, the detection sensor 110 may record decibel levels of thesleeping sounds of a person over a temporal period, which may be more orless than one week. The base data may contain patterns of the person'sbreathing at times when the lulls in breathing and loud spikes occur.

In another aspect, the detection sensor 110 may save the base data in amemory (which is not shown) of the detection sensor 110. In other words,the detection sensor 110 may determine vaping, potential bullying, orsleep apnea by itself at the site where the detection sensor 110 isinstalled. In this case, the detection sensor 110 transmits signalsindicating abnormality matching signature of vaping, potential bullying,or apnea. This ensures data privacy, meaning that the data stay withinthe detection sensor 110, and further ensures privacy of people at thesite.

During the active mode, the detection sensor 110 may listen to theperson's sleeping sounds and the control server 120 may compare thecurrent levels (e.g. decibels) of the sleeping with the expected levelfrom the base data at the corresponding time. The comparing data may bedisplayed so that the user can see when sleep apnea occurs. The controlserver 120 may measure anomalies in sound over a predicted norm. Thecontrol server 120 may determine patterns of snoring, breathing, or anysound disruption during the sleep by analyzing the sound amplitudepattern that occurs. By analyzing the amplitude of the sound as well asirregular levels of sound in the sleep pattern, the control server 120may identify sleep apnea.

In an aspect, the base data may be location-independent, meaning thatthe base data is the same for every enclosed location at every time. Thelocation-independent base data may be air quality data related toidentifying vaping. Since vaping has a signature in temperature,humidity, and hydrogen ranges, vaping may be identified based on thesignature. In an aspect, features for identifying vaping may beintegrated into the detection sensor 110 so that the detection sensor110 may request an alert or warning message to be sent to the client170, when the signature is identified in the detected air quality. Thesignature may include combination of predetermined ranges oftemperature, humidity, and hydrogen.

Generally, hydrogen sensors require at least 7 volts and about 1,000-ohmresistance. The detection sensor 110, however, may have a modifiedhydrogen sensor, which requires much lower voltage and a much higherresistance. The voltage and resistance may vary based on temperature ofthe environment.

The database 130 may further include history data which is time-seriesand location-specific data for identifying potential bullying for eachlocation where the detection sensor 110 has been installed. In anaspect, the control server 120 may analyze the history data to predictoccurrences of vaping and potential bullying at the location so thatappropriate actions may be proactively and precautiously taken at thelocation.

In an aspect, the control server 120 may analyze the history data storedat the database 130 to identify trend of the history data. The trend maybe a decrease or increase pattern of occurrences of vaping or potentialbullying. In case a decrease or increase pattern is identified, thecontrol server 120 may adjust the base data for identifying potentialbullying to make the detection sensor 110 more or less sensitive to theidentification. In this way, the base data may be adjusted based on thetrend of the history data.

For example, FIGS. 3B and 3C show history data of detected sound leveland detected air quality, respectively. The horizontal axes for bothgraphs of the history data represent time, the vertical axis of FIG. 3Brepresents decibel or voltage amplitude, and the vertical axis of FIG.3C represents air quality index. The history data of the detected soundsobtained during the learning mode is used to generate base data foridentifying potential bullying or sleep apnea at the installationlocation in the active mode. As the detected sound fluctuates, thethreshold value for identification may vary according to the times. Forexample, the threshold value for detecting potential bullying at dawnmay be lower than the threshold value for detecting potential bullyingat noon. It may also vary based on the day of week and location. Thethreshold value on Wednesday may be higher than on Sunday at a school.On the other hand, the threshold value on Wednesday may be lower than onSunday at a commercial establishment such as a department store.

In an aspect, the detection sensors 110 may repeat the learning mode andactive mode consecutively. As shown in FIG. 3C, the first period (e.g.,about ten seconds from the start to 09:31:38) may be used in thelearning mode to collect data regarding the environment. Then, thedetection sensor 110 determines whether an adjustment or calibrationneeds to be made to the modified hydrogen sensor so as to properlydetect vaping. For example, the voltage or resistance in the modifiedhydrogen sensor varies depending on temperature of the environment.Thus, the modified hydrogen sensor can be adjusted or calibrated basedon the environment.

After the first period for collecting environment-calibrated data, thethreshold value for vaping is determined in the active mode for a secondperiod and the detection sensor 110 detects vaping based on thethreshold value.

In another aspect, the detection sensors 110 may iterate the learningmode and the active mode after the first and second periods, meaningthat the detection sensors 110 may calibrate the modified hydrogensensor repeatedly so that the detection sensor 110 may accurately detectvaping.

FIG. 3C shows two curves. The upper curve represents threshold indexvalue for identifying vaping. The lower curve represents the historydata of detection results from the air quality sensor of the detectionsensor 110. The upper curve is stabilized in a period of time after thepower-up.

In an aspect, the detection sensors 110 may repeat the learning mode andactive mode consecutively. As shown in FIG. 3C, the first period (e.g.,about ten seconds from the start to 09:31:38) may be used in thelearning mode to collect data regarding the environment. Then, thedetection sensor 110 determines whether an adjustment or calibrationneeds to be made to the modified hydrogen sensor so as to properlydetect vaping. For example, the voltage or resistance in the modifiedhydrogen sensor varies depending on temperature of the environment.Thus, the modified hydrogen sensor can be adjusted or calibrated basedon the environment.

After the first period for collecting environment-calibrated data, thethreshold value for vaping is determined in the active mode for a secondperiod and the detection sensor 110 detects vaping based on thethreshold value.

In another aspect, the detection sensors 110 may iterate the learningmode and the active mode after the first and second periods, meaningthat the detection sensors 110 may calibrate the modified hydrogensensor repeatedly so that the detection sensor 110 may accurately detectvaping based on the index value.

The index value is calculated based on the temperature, moisture, andthe detection results of the modified hydrogen sensor. For example, thetemperature falls in a range between 60 degree and 80 degree Fahrenheit,the moisture is increased by at least 10 percent, and the hydrogenincreases from the base level (e.g., environment level) by approximately10 percent, the detection sensor 110 may determine that vaping hasoccurred. This determination is provided as an example and is notprovided to limit the scope of this application.

In an aspect, the control server 120 may send a command to the detectionsensor 110 to adjust internal parameters for detecting potentialbullying and vaping based on the trend identified from the history data.Further, the control server 120 may communicate with the detectionsensors 110 by calling functions of application programming interface(“API”) between the detection sensor 110 and the control server 120. Inthis regard, the detection sensor 110 can push detection results to thecontrol server 120 and respond to the control server 120's request.

In an aspect, the control server 120 may not store detected results fromthe detection sensors 110 because of privacy issues. Nevertheless, thecontrol server 120 may provide signals back to the detection sensors 110to indicate tuning parameters and false positives.

Internal parameters of the detection sensor 110 may include LEDfunctionality, sound threshold, networking server IP address, alerttimeout, serial number, reboot for device required or not, latest binarycode, vape identification algorithm parameters. This list of parametersshould not be understood as exhaustive but provided only for examplepurposes. The internal parameters of the detection sensor 110 mayfurther include potential bullying identification algorithm parameters.Potential bullying or vaping identification algorithm parameters mayinclude a window size or threshold values or ranges.

In an aspect, the control server 120 may update internal parameters viatext or binary files. Internal parameters for each the detection sensor110 may be saved in the database 130.

In another aspect, the control server 120 may control the detectionsensors 110 collectively, individually, or group by group. For example,several the detection sensors 110 may be installed at the same site.When they need to update internal parameters or settings, the controlserver 120 may control the detection sensors 110 collectively at thesite. However, such control may not affect the detection sensor 110installed in the other sites. The control server 120 may use a querylanguage to request data from the database 130. The query language maybe SQL, MySQL, SSP, C, C++, C #, PHP, SAP, Sybase, Java, JavaScript, orany language, which can be used to request data from a database.

In yet another aspect, even when several detection sensors 110 areinstalled at the same site, the control server 120 may control themdifferently because one the detection sensor 110 may have differentparameters for identifying potential bullying and vaping from those ofanother the detection sensor 110 due to different installation locationsat the site. For example, the detection sensor 110 installed at abedroom has parameters different from those of the detection sensor 110installed at a bathroom.

Client 170 may log in to the control server 120 to see graphicalrepresentations of the detection results from the detection sensor 110via Internet. Communication between the client 170 and the controlserver 120 may utilize http, https, ftp, SMTP, or related Internetprotocols. The client 170 may be able to adjust settings for each thedetection sensor 110. For example, the settings may include a mode ofwarnings (e.g., an email, text message, telephone call, instant message,audible warning, etc.), an address, to which such warnings are to besent in case of identification of potential bullying or vaping, and thelike. The client 170 are the ones who are responsible for the siteswhere the detection sensors 110 are installed for identifying potentialbullying and vaping. For example, the client 170 may be a principal,vice president, or person in charge at a school, a president at acompany, a manager at a hospital or any commercial establishment, orsecurity personnel. This list, however, is not meant to be exhaustivebut is provided only for showing examples. Other peoples in differentrankings, at different locations can be included in this list.

When the detection sensor 110 identifies potential bullying or vaping,the detection sensor 110 may send an alert to the client 170 via aclient server 160 using protocols of Internet. The client server 160 maybe used for sending a simple message or email to the client 170supervising the site, where the potential bullying or vaping isdetected. The client server 160 may manage the client 170 registered onthe client server 160 and show alert history and other notification uponrequests from the client 170. Further, the client server 160 may handlecustomizing or fine tuning the detection sensors 110, which lead to analert when the detection sensors 110 need to reboot, update, or receiveconfiguration. In an aspect, as dotted lines are shown in FIG. 1, thecommunication between the client server 160 and the client 170 may notbe regularly performed but can be made only when potential bullying orvaping is identified. The client 170 may receive the alert on acomputer, smart device, or mobile phone. In this way, the client 170 arenot swamped by overwhelming number of messages because they receive thealert only when potential bullying or vaping is identified. Further, theclient 170 may be able to timely, properly supervise at the sitewhenever an alert is received.

When the client server 160 receives an alert from the detection sensor110, the client server 160 may communicate with the message server 140,which manages pushing alerts to the notification subscribers 150. Theclient 170 may be the person in charge as the first contact person whohas a direct access to the control server 120 for the site, and thenotification subscribers 150 may be any related personnel as the secondcontact persons who do not have a direct access to the control server120. Similar to the ways the client server 160 sends alerts to theclient 170, the message server 140 sends alerts to the notificationsubscribers 150 via a text message, email, instant message, telephonecall, audible warning, any communication means readily available to aperson having skill in the art. The notification subscribers 150 mayreceive alerts via a computer, smart device, mobile phone, personaldigital assistant, tablet, or any available means for receiving suchalerts.

As described above, vaping can be identified when the signature isdetected, meaning that vaping can be identified independent of locationsand times. Thus, features related to identification of vaping may beintegrated into the detection sensor 110. In this case, when vaping isidentified, the detection sensor 110 may bypass the control server 120and directly communicate with the message server 140 and the clientserver 160 to transmit alerts to ones in charge or responsible for thesites where the detection sensor 110 are installed. On the other hand,identification of potential bullying is different from site to site dueto different environments. In other words, when sounds are detected bythe detection sensor 110, the control server 120 receives and analyzesthe detected sounds, and determines whether potential bullying hasoccurred. As a result, vaping may be identified earlier than potentialbullying, and alerts for vaping may be sent to the notificationsubscribers 150 and the client 170 faster than alerts for potentialbullying.

In an aspect, features for identifying potential bullying may be alsointegrated into the detection sensor 110. This can be done by thecontrol server 120 controlling the detection sensor 110 to updateinternal parameters for identifying potential bullying at thecorresponding site. In this case, the control server 120 regularlychecks the history data stored at the database 130 and regularly updatethe internal parameters of the detection sensor 110 for identifyingpotential bullying. After updating the internal parameters of thedetection sensor 110, alerts for identifying potential bullying may besent to the notification subscribers 150 and the client 170 in the sameway as alerts for identifying vaping are sent.

The detection sensors 110 may be grouped into zones when theinstallation site is large or can be divided into several zones based onsound specifics or air quality specifics. For example, men's bathroomsmay be one zone separate from a zone for woman's bathrooms. Further, ifa bathroom is large, it can have several zones, one being close totoilets and another being close to faucets. Further, storage rooms maybe a zone separate from one for classrooms. Furthermore, when theinstallation site is a medical/business/education/government building,the installation site may have several zones based on managerialresponsibilities. For example, storage rooms may be assigned to one zoneand offices may be assigned to another zone.

From the managerial point of view, managers and employees who areresponsible for the installation site may be assigned to zonescorresponding to their schedules. Thus, every zone or detection sensoris assigned to at least one responsible person at every hour seven daysa week. For this purpose, a subscriber list including schedules of theresponsible people should be entered before the active mode isinitiated. The subscriber list may include names, contact information,working hours, working days, and assigned zones of the detection sensors110. The contact information may include at least mobile/work/home phonenumbers, an email address, and SMS address. Thus, when potentialbullying or vaping is detected, the control server 120 may check who isresponsible for the zone where the detection is identified and thedetection time, and transmit the contact information of the responsibleperson to the message server 140. Upon reception, the message server 140then transmits an alert/warning to the responsible person.

In an aspect, the control server 120 may include a responsible hierarchystored in the database 130 and transmit at least two persons responsiblefor the zone where the detection is identified and the detection time.The client 170 may be near or at the top of the hierarchy. Then, themessage server 140 can send the alert/warning to at least tworesponsible persons so that prompt responsiveness and certainty, thatvaping, smoking, or potential bullying is appropriately taken care of indue course, are increased.

In another aspect, when the database 130 further includes schedules ofthe responsible persons, the message server 140 may repeatedly resendthe alert/warning to the responsible personnel at every predeterminedperiod for a period sufficiently long enough to take care of thedetection.

In still another aspect, the message server 140 may be capable ofreceiving emails or text messages. After sending the alert/warning to atleast one responsible person, the message server 140 may resend thealert/warning every time after a predetermined period has passed withoutreceiving a response text message, email, or any communication from theresponsible person. After receiving the response, the message server 140may stop resending the alert/warning.

Now referring back to FIG. 2, a functional block diagram of thedetection sensor 110 of FIG. 1 is shown in accordance with embodimentsof the present disclosure. The detection sensor 110 may include a soundsensor 210, an air quality sensor 220, a network interface 230, a powerunit 240, and a controller 250. The sound sensor 210 may be used fordetecting sound and the air quality sensor 220 may be used for detectingair quality.

In particular, the sound sensor 210 detects sound levels (e.g., decibel(dB)) in the environment. For example, FIG. 3A shows detected soundlevels in the form of voltage amplitudes. The horizontal axis representstime and the vertical axis represents voltage amplitude. Curvesrepresent detected sound levels in voltage. The bold lines representwindows for identification. For example, the window of identificationmay be less than 1 second. Within the window, when the voltage amplitudeis greater than a threshold value, potential bullying may be identified.In this example, the threshold value is about 4.9 volts. Thus, between 4and 5 seconds, potential bullying may be identified.

As described above, the threshold value for identifying potentialbullying depends on the installation location at the site and based onhistory data obtained during the learning mode. Since the detectionsensor 110 may cover a limited area, several satellite detection sensors110 may be installed at one enclosed space when the area of the enclosedspace is greater than the area each satellite detection sensor 110 cancover. For example, the detection sensor 110 may cover an area of 10 by10 square feet. In this situation, each satellite detection sensor 110may have different threshold value for identifying potential bullyingdue to different installation locations at the same enclosed space. Theair quality sensor 220 may detect air quality including moisture andhydrogen content in the air and temperature of the air. In other words,the air quality sensor 220 may include a combination of sensors sensingair quality. In an aspect, the air quality sensor 220 may include othersensors sensing air content of the environment. Vaping may be detectedby specific range combination of humidity, hydrogen, and temperature,which is defined as signature in this disclosure. Since the signaturedoes not depend on installation locations and times, internal parametersfor identifying vaping may be predetermined. In other words, the airquality sensor 220 does not need training, while the sound sensor 210needs training. The network interface 230 may be configured to transmitsensed results to the control server 120. In an aspect, the networkinterface 230 may transmit a request to send an alert, when potentialbullying or vaping is identified, to the message server 140 and theclient server 160. Further, the network interface 230 may receive acommand to update internal settings or parameters from the controlserver 120.

In an aspect, the network interface 230 may communicate with otherswirelessly or via a wired connection. Wireless connections may be widearea network (WAN), local area network (LAN), personal area network(PAN), ad hoc network, cellular network, etc. Wired network may utilizecategory 5 cable (CAT5), CAT5E, category 6 cable (CAT6), or similarcables. Updates for the detection sensor 110 may be wirelesslytransmitted through the network interface 230 over the air. Further,through the network interface 230, the client 170 or anoperator/manager/technician may be able to turn on and off the detectionsensors 110 individually.

The sound sensor 210, the air quality sensor 220, and the networkinterface 230 may be powered by the power unit 240. Regular batteriesmay be installed to supply power to the detection sensor 110. Forexample, AA, AAA, or other suitable batteries may be used. The powerunit 240 may utilize batteries and a connection to a power outlet sothat the power unit 240 may supply power by using the batteries just incase when the power is out.

In an aspect, the power unit 240 may receive power supplied from anetwork cable, such as CAT5 or CAT6, which is called power-over-Ethernet(PoE) or active Ethernet. PoE+ and 4PPoE may be also used to supplypower. The PoE and PoE+ follows standards (e.g., 802.3AT and 802.8Bt)set by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)providing about 30 watts. As next generation standards for the PoE canprovide more power, for example 60 watts, the ethernet cable can providesufficient power for the power unit 240. Since the network cablesupplies power, the detection sensor 110 may be installed everywhere thenetwork cable can be installed without worrying about a distance to apower outlet. Also, since the power unit 240 does not need electriccomponents necessary for connections to a power outlet, manufacturingcost can be lowered and the size of the detection sensor 110 can bereduced.

The detection sensor 110 further includes the controller 250, whichcontrols functions and settings of the detection sensor 110. When thedetection sensor 110 is powered, the controller 250 sets settings of thedetection sensor 110 and internal parameters of the sound sensor 210 andthe air quality sensor 220. The controller 250 further controls thenetwork interface 230 to transmit detected results or requests forsending alerts when potential bullying, sleep apnea, or vaping isdetected, and reset or update settings and internal parameters uponreception of update command from the control server 120.

The controller 250 may be implemented on Linux, Windows, android, IOS,or similar software operation system. In an aspect, the controller 250may be implemented on a hardware system, such as a digital signalprocessor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC),field-programmable gate array (FPGA), different types of programmableread-only memory (e.g., PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), or microprocessorsuch as Raspberry Pi.

In an aspect, the controller 250 may be implemented on a hardware systemby removing unnecessary features from the hardware system to reducepower consumption and integrating necessary features for identificationinto the hardware system. For example, the controller 250 may beimplemented on a Raspberry Pi in a low power mode by removingunnecessary features, which were already equipped in the Raspberry Pi,and by integrating features for identifying vaping, smoking, andpotential bullying. In this way, power required for running the soundsensor 210, the air quality sensor 220, the network interface 230, andthe controller 250 can be sufficiently supplied via a network cable(e.g., PoE, PoE+ and 4PPoE). This approach for reducing powerconsumption may be applied to other hardware systems or softwareoperating systems.

For example, a standard processor of Raspberry Pi (e.g., Model 3, 3B,3B+, etc.) runs at 300-400 MHz. By editing operating systemconfiguration files, the Raspberry Pi processor can run at less than 300MHz, thus the consumption of power being lowered, meaning that theRaspberry Pi processor runs in the low power mode. Further, theRaspberry Pi includes an HDMI port for debugging and diagnosticpurposes. When plugging into the HDMI port, a user can change and debugthe operating system configuration files. The disclosed embodiments areexemplary, and other implementations are contemplated. For example, thehardware system need not be a Raspberry Pi and can be anotherhardware/software system that includes a processor, memory,communication interfaces, an operating system, power management, and oneor more software applications. The communication interfaces can include,for example, Ethernet, WiFi, USB, and/or HDMI, among others. In variousembodiments, the hardware/software system can include a low power modewhich permits the system to be powered by Power over Ethernet (PoE). Thelow power mode can include, for example, setting the processor todecreased processing capability. Other variations are contemplated.

In an aspect, the detection sensor 110 may not be equipped with awarning system. Thus, when potential bullying or vaping is detected atthe installation site, any person who bullies or vapes cannot recognizethat the identification of such is reported to the client 170 and thenotification subscribers 150 because the identification is reportedsilently to the person.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart for a method 400 in the learning mode inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As describedabove, the sound sensor 210 of the detection sensor 110 needs trainingto generate base data. In the learning mode, the base data is generated.In step 410, the sound sensor detects sounds for a predetermined period.The detected sound is combined with the corresponding timestamp in step420. The timestamp may include the time, the day of the week, the day,and the month when the sound is detected. The combined data is thensaved in a database in step 430.

In step 440, it is checked whether or not the learning mode is stilltrue. If it is true, the method 400 repeats steps 410-440 untilsufficient sound data is saved in the database. In an aspect, the sounddata may be saved in a memory in the detection sensor 110 but not in thedata base, which is distant from the detection sensor 110, forprotecting privacy.

If it is determined that the learning mode is false in step 440, themethod 400 proceeds to step 450, in which base data is generated basedon the detected sounds saved at the database during the learning mode.The base data may include a series of threshold values for identifyingpotential bullying or sleep apnea along the time of each day, each week,or each month depending on the total duration of the learning mode.After generation of the base data, the method 400 ends.

Now turning to FIG. 5, a method 500 is provided in the active mode inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. After the basedata is generated in method 400 of FIG. 4, the method 500 starts withsteps 510 and 560. In step 510, the sound sensor detects sound in theenvironment and in step 560, the air quality sensor detects air quality.In the method 500, detections of sound and air quality are shownparallelly. In an aspect, such detections may be serially performed.

In step 520, timestamp is provided to the detected sounds. Based on thetimestamp, a control system makes a request for history data from thedatabase in step 530. The control system then determines based on thehistory data whether or not noise disturbance is detected in step 540.The noise disturbance may be related to potential bullying or sleepapnea. In an aspect, the noise disturbance may be related to soundrelated phenomena or situations, such as fights, hurricane, voicerecognition, etc.

If it is determined that the noise disturbance is identified in step540, the control system silently sends an alert to one or more users whoare in charge of the installation site in step 550. After sending thealert, the method 500 restarts the process.

If it is determined that the noise disturbance is not identified in step540, steps 510-550 are repeated.

Now returning back to the air quality detection, after the air qualityis detected in step 560, the control system determines whether or notthe signature is identified in step 570. In case when it is determinedthat the signature is not identified in step 570, the method 500 repeatssteps 560 and 570. In this way, sleep apnea, potential bullying, orvaping can be detected and informed to the users. Peoples at the site,however, may not acknowledge the transmission of the alert because thealert is transmitted silently to the people responsible for the site.

If it is determined that the signature is identified in step 570, themethod 500 may further check the sound sensor to determine whether thesignature is identified because air fresheners at the detection siteautomatically spray into the air, or heating, ventilation, and airconditioning (HVAC) equipment blows air through vents. In other words,the sound sensor is used to determine whether there is a person at thedetection site in step 580. In case when the signature is identified bysomething other than people in step 580, the control method 500 goesback to step 560 without sending an alert. However, when presence of aperson is identified by the sound sensor in step 580, the control systemsilently sends an alert to the one or more users via a text message,email, instant message, optical warning, or oral warning in step 550.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a flowchart is provided for a method 600 fordetecting vape. The method starts from sensing temperature and humidityin step 610. As described above, the modified hydrogen sensor of thedetection sensor may vary because the voltage or resistance in themodified hydrogen sensor varies depending on temperature of theenvironment. Thus, in step 620, it is determined whether an adjustmentto the modified hydrogen sensor is needed.

When it is determined that the adjustment is needed in step 620, thevoltage or resistance of the modified hydrogen sensor is adjusted toappropriately sense gas (e.g., hydrogen) in step 630 and then the method600 moves to step 640.

When it is determined that the adjustment is not needed in step 620, themodified gas sensor reads gas in step 640.

In step 650, it is determined whether the sensed temperature, humidity,and gas match abnormality matching signature, meaning that the sensedresults are within the corresponding ranges. When they match theabnormality matching signature, an alert is sent in step 660. Otherwise,the method 600 goes back to step 610 and repeats steps 610-660.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a simplified block diagram is provided for acomputing device 700, which can be implemented as the control server120, the database 130, the message server 140, and the client server 160of FIG. 1. The computing device 700 may include a memory 702, aprocessor 704, a display 706, a network interface 708, an input device710, and/or an output module 712. The memory 702 includes anynon-transitory computer-readable storage media for storing data and/orsoftware that is executable by the processor 704 and which controls theoperation of the computing device 700.

In an aspect, the memory 702 may include one or more solid-state storagedevices such as flash memory chips. Alternatively or in addition to theone or more solid-state storage devices, the memory 702 may include oneor more mass storage devices connected to the processor 704 through amass storage controller (not shown) and a communications bus (notshown). Although the description of computer-readable media containedherein refers to a solid-state storage, it should be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that computer-readable storage media can be anyavailable media that can be accessed by the processor 704. That is,computer readable storage media may include non-transitory, volatile andnon-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such ascomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother data. For example, computer-readable storage media includes RAM,ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology,CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-Ray or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by the computing device 700.

The memory 702 may store application 716 and/or data 714 (e.g., basedata and history data from the sound sensor 210 and the air qualitysensor 220 of FIG. 2). The application 716 may, when executed byprocessor 704, cause the display 706 to present the user interface 718including FIGS. 3A-3C. The processor 704 may be a general-purposeprocessor, a specialized graphics processing unit (GPU) configured toperform specific graphics processing tasks while freeing up thegeneral-purpose processor to perform other tasks, and/or any number orcombination of such processors. The display 706 may be touch-sensitiveand/or voice-activated, enabling the display 706 to serve as both aninput and output device. Alternatively, a keyboard (not shown), mouse(not shown), or other data input devices may be employed. The networkinterface 708 may be configured to connect to a network such as a localarea network (LAN) consisting of a wired network and/or a wirelessnetwork, a wide area network (WAN), a wireless mobile network, aBluetooth network, and/or the internet.

For example, the computing device 700 may receive, through the networkinterface 708, detection results for the detection sensor 110 of FIG. 1,for example, detected sound in the learning mode and the active mode,and history data, which is time-series data including detected soundsand detected air quality from the detection sensor 110 for the wholerunning times or a predetermined period. The computing device 700 mayreceive updates to its software, for example, the application 716, viathe network interface 708. The computing device 700 may also displaynotifications on the display 706 that a software update is available.

The input device 710 may be any device by means of which a user mayinteract with the computing device 700, such as, for example, a mouse,keyboard, foot pedal, touch screen, and/or voice interface. The outputmodule 712 may include any connectivity port or bus, such as, forexample, parallel ports, serial ports, universal serial busses (USB), orany other similar connectivity port known to those skilled in the art.The application 716 may be one or more software programs stored in thememory 702 and executed by the processor 704 of the computing device700. The application 716 may be installed directly on the computingdevice 700 or via the network interface 708. The application 716 may runnatively on the computing device 700, as a web-based application, or anyother format known to those skilled in the art.

In an aspect, the application 716 will be a single software programhaving all of the features and functionality described in the presentdisclosure. In other aspect, the application 716 may be two or moredistinct software programs providing various parts of these features andfunctionality. Various software programs forming part of the application716 may be enabled to communicate with each other and/or import andexport various settings and parameters relating to the identification ofpotential bullying, sleep apnea, and vaping. The application 716communicates with a user interface 718 which generates a user interfacefor presenting visual interactive features to the notificationsubscribers 150 or the client 170 of FIG. 1 on the display 706. Forexample, the user interface 718 may generate a graphical user interface(GUI) and output the GUI to the display 706 to present graphicalillustrations such as FIGS. 3A-3C.

Now turning to FIG. 8, a method 800 is provided for notifying detectionof vaping, smoking, or potential bullying in accordance with embodimentsof the present disclosure. The notification method 800 starts with thenotification system receiving a responsibility schedule from the client170 in step 810. The responsibility schedule may include working hours,working days, assigned zones, names, and contact information of personsresponsible for a premises, where a plurality of detection sensors areto be installed. The list of responsibility schedule is not meant to beexhaustive but is provided for explanatory purposes only, and maycontain further information as readily appreciated by a person havingordinary skill in the art. The contact information may include a workingphone number, a mobile phone number, a home phone number, a workingemail, a social media address, or any other address that the messageserver can send an alert/warning.

After the plurality of detection sensors are installed at the premises,the plurality of detection sensors has to go through the learning modeto obtain base data. During the learning mode, each detection sensorcollects sensed results to form the base data, which is to be used fordetecting vaping, smoking, and potential bullying. The base date may becollected in a similar way as steps 410-450 of FIG. 4.

The learning mode may be complete in one or more weeks to collect basedata to accommodate weekday specifics, hours specifics, etc. Thus, thebase data is not a constant reference data but includes a time seriesdata, which fluctuates during 24 hours or weekdays. In order toaccommodate holidays or weekends, the base data may include a constantreference data. In an aspect, the learning mode may take less than oneor two weeks or more based on the characteristics of the premises.

After obtaining the base data sufficiently, the active mode is activatedand the plurality of sensors starts to sense air quality, sound, andtemperature in step 830. The sensed results are then compared with thebase data in consideration of the sensing time and the sensing locationin step 840. When it is determined that there is no activity of vaping,smoking, and potential bullying, the method 800 keeps going back to step830 so that the plurality of detection sensors continuously senses airquality, sound, and temperature.

When it is determined that vaping, smoking, or potential bullying isdetected in step 840, the notification system sends an alert to a personresponsible for the premises based on the responsibility schedule instep 850. The notification system selects the responsible person who isin charge of the location where and the time when vaping, smoking, orpotential bullying is detected. The detection location may not be aspecific location of the detection sensor which detects vaping, smoking,or potential bullying but a location of the zone, to which the detectionsensor belongs.

The alert may not be sent to the location of the detection, meaning thatpersons in the detection location are unable to know that the alert issent to the responsible person. In this way, vaping, smoking, orpotential bullying can be appropriately before while the persons doingsuch activity are aware of transmission of the alert.

Step 860 assures that the responsible person receives the alert byre-sending the alert until the notification system receives a responsefrom the responsible person. For this cause, the notification system iscapable of receiving emails, text messages, or audio/video data viaseveral communication methods.

Since other modifications and changes may be made to fit particularoperating requirements and environments, it is to be understood by oneskilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to theexamples described in the present disclosure and may cover various otherchanges and modifications which do not depart from the spirit or scopeof this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A notification system for notifying detection ofvaping at a premises, the notification system comprising: a plurality ofsensors installed at the premises and configured to sense air quality,sound, and temperature at a premises; a memory configured to store aresponsibility schedule of preassigned persons for each of the pluralityof sensors; a controller configured to detect vaping at a location at atime based on results sensed by the plurality of sensors and to detectwhether a person is present at the location at the time based on theresults sensed by the plurality of sensors; and a message serverconfigured to send an alert to a preassigned person based on theresponsibility schedule when the controller detects vaping at adetection location at a detection time and detects presence of a personat the detection location at the detection time, wherein theresponsibility schedule is preset and assigns the preassigned person asresponsible for the detection location at the detection time before thecontroller detects the vaping and the presence of the person at thedetection location at the detection time.
 2. The notification systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the responsibility schedule includes aname, working days, working hours, and contact information of eachperson responsible for the premises.
 3. The notification systemaccording to claim 2, wherein the contact information includes at leastone of an email address, a work phone number, a mobile phone number, asocial media address, and a home phone number.
 4. The notificationsystem according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensors is dividedinto a plurality of zones of the premises.
 5. The notification systemaccording to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of zones is assignedto a person responsible for the premises based on the responsibilityschedule.
 6. The notification system according to claim 1, whereinsending the alert includes re-sending the alert until the responsibleperson responds to the alert.
 7. The notification system according toclaim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors is implemented by using acomputing device identified as Raspberry Pi®.
 8. The notification systemaccording to claim 7, wherein the computing device identified asRaspberry Pi® runs in a low power mode.
 9. The notification systemaccording to claim 7, wherein the computing device identified asRaspberry Pi® includes a HDMI port for debugging and diagnostic.
 10. Thenotification system according to claim 1, wherein an alert isretransmitted from the message server to the preassigned person for apredetermined period.
 11. The notification system according to claim 10,wherein the alert is a text message, an email, an optical flashing, anaudible sound, or combination thereof.
 12. The notification systemaccording to claim 10, wherein transmission of the alert is stopped whenthe message server receives a response from the preassigned person. 13.The notification system according to claim 1, wherein updates arewirelessly transmitted to the plurality of sensors.
 14. A method fornotifying detection of vaping at a premises, the method comprising:accessing a responsibility schedule; sensing air quality, sound, andtemperature by a plurality of sensors; detecting vaping at a detectionlocation at a detection time based on results sensed by the plurality ofsensors; detecting presence of a person at the detection location at thedetection time based on the results sensed by the plurality of sensors;and sending an alert to a preassigned person based on the responsibilityschedule and based on detecting the vaping and the presence of a personat the detection location at the detection time, wherein responsibilityschedule is preset and assigns the preassigned person as responsible forthe detection location at the detection time before the detecting of thevaping and the presence of the person at the detection location at thedetection time.
 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein theresponsibility schedule includes a name, working days, working hours,and contact information of each person responsible for a premises. 16.The method according to claim 15, wherein the contact informationincludes at least one of an email address, a work phone number, a mobilephone number, a social media address, and a home phone number.
 17. Themethod according to claim 14, wherein sending the alert includesre-sending the alert until the responsible person responds to the alert.18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that,when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a methodcomprising: accessing a responsibility schedule; sensing air quality,sound, and temperature by a plurality of sensors; detecting vaping at adetection location at a detection time based on results sensed by theplurality of sensors; detecting presence of a person at the detectionlocation at the detection time based on results sensed by the pluralityof sensors; and sending an alert to a preassigned person based on theresponsibility schedule and based on detecting the vaping and thepresence of a person at the detection location at the detection time,wherein the responsibility schedule is preset and assigns thepreassigned person as responsible for the detection location at thedetection time before the detecting of the vaping and the presence ofthe person at the detection location at the detection time.